Faculty & Advisor Information

The U of I General Education Curriculum prepares undergraduate students to be life-long learners by aligning with the University Learning Outcomes that state all students at the U of I will learn to:

• Learn and integrate
• Think and create
• Use multiple and interdisciplinary methods and strategies
• Communicate and collaborate
• Clarify purpose and perspective
• Practice good citizenship

You will help students select General Education courses that can be used to satisfy both state and institutional general education requirements. Together, these are the classes known as the General Education Curriculum.

Students at University of Idaho must take courses in the following nine categories to complete the U of I General Education Curriculum:

• Written Communication (3-6 credits, depending on placement)
• Oral Communicaiton (2-3 credits)
• Scientific Ways of Knowing (8 credits from two different disciplines which include two accompanying labs, OR 7 credits which includes a Core Science course (CORS) and one course with an accompanying lab)
• Mathematical Ways of Knowing (3 credits)
• Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing (6 credits from two different disciplines)
• Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing (6 credits from two different disciplines)
• American Diversity (1 course)
• International (1 course or an approved study abroad experience)
• Capstone Experience (1 course)

The courses that fall into each of the above categories can be found in the Catalog in section J-3.

All undergraduate students at University of Idaho must fulfill U of I's General Education Curriculum requirements. See the Catalog for more information about General Education Curriculum requirements for Transfer Students. Below, you’ll find a summary of the information presented in the Catalog:

If students have completed one of the degrees or programs listed below prior to admission to U of I, they are considered to have already satisfied the U of I General Education Curriculum requirements:

• An A.A. or A.S. earned at a regionally accredited institution.
• A completed Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) at a regionally accredited California community college.
• The completion of the 36 credits of general education requirements, as defined in Idaho State Board Policy III.N, without an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree AND they transfer from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution in Idaho.

If students come to the UI without having completed an A.A. or A.S. or are not certified as having completed the equivalent of Idaho’s State Board of Education general education core, they have two options for fulfilling the UI General Education Curriculum:

• Complete the UI General Education Curriculum using a combination of transfer credits and credits they take at U of I. In this case, transfer credits are evaluated on a course-by-course basis for equivalency to courses specified in J-3, and missing coursework is made up by completing the necessary credits outlined in J-3.
• Complete the Idaho State Board of Education general education requirements as listed in the “Alternative General Education Requirements for Transfer Students” under the “General Education Requirements for Transfer Students” in the “Admission to the University” section of the Catalog.

Yes! Here is a link to the 2024-2025 UI General Education Curriculum handout.

You can find a list of General Education courses on the UI Course Schedule. Additionally, you can see a list of courses that fall under each category in the UI Catalog under J-3.

Yes. Certain American Diversity and International courses are cross listed with certain Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing and Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing courses; these can be used to satisfy both associated requirements.

It depends. If your advisee wants to move to a different general education curriculum, please have them complete this form.

If your advisee wants to petition to have a class fulfill a requirement in the UI General Education Curriculum that isn’t on the list of approved classes, please have them complete the academic petition process through your college; this typically includes completing this form.

General Education Courses are listed by category in the UI Catalog under J-3.

If you have a course you wish to propose for inclusion in the U of I General Education Curriculum, proposal guidelines are listed on the University Committee on General Education page.

Please note: when designing a course for inclusion one of the following Idaho State Board General Education Matriculation (GEM) areas, you need to include the competencies outlined in board policy:

• Written Communication
• Oral Communicaiton
• Scientific Ways of Knowing
• Mathematical Ways of Knowing (3 credits)
• Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing
• Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing

For additional assistance with help on the design of your course, its content, or in addressing the UCGE proposal guidelines, contact Barb Kirchmeier, Director of General Education at barbara@uidaho.edu.

Here are five things you can do to get more involved in General Education at the UI:

1. Volunteer to be a GEM area representative at the Idaho General Education Summit held in October every year.
2. Select “University Committee on General Education” on your UI committee preference form.
3. Use the Common Read text in your classes and encourage your students to attend the Common Read Keynote event.
4. Volunteer to teach a General Education course offered by your department.
5. Email Barb Kirchmeier, Director of General Education, to be added to the U of I Gen Ed email list to learn about Gen Ed activities at U of I.

The Common Read is a program designed to engage the university and Moscow community, its students, staff, faculty and community members, in a unified intellectual activity. For first-year students it introduces them to academic expectations, respectful discourse, and community building.

There are many ways you can incorporate the Common Read into your classes, including assigning the book (or selections from the book) in your class and encouraging your students to attend the keynote presentation. For more ideas on how you can incorporate the Common Read into your classes, visit the Common Read Teaching Guide

If you have an idea for a book we should use for the U of I Common Read program, please nominate it by emailing the Director of General Education, Barb Kirchmeier, at barbara@uidaho.edu. Include the following information:

• Title, author, and publisher of the book.
• A short summary of the book.
• A short statement that explains how the content of the book will engage the university and the Moscow community.
• A short statement that explains how you think the content of the book might be integrated into different disciplines/classes.
• Any other information you think would help the Common Read Selection Committee understand why you think this book would be a good pick for the Common Read program.

If you would like to sit on the Common Read Selection Committee, please email the Director of General Education, Barb Kirchmeier, at barbara@uidaho.edu.